Why Young Adults Say They Won't Get a COVID-19 Vaccine

Young people tend to think they’re invincible. And in the case of COVID-19, they’re not always wrong—most young people show few symptoms if they contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But our data shows that this may be leading them to dismiss the urgency of getting the COVID-19 vaccine, potentially putting others, and their future selves, at risk. 

The pandemic is still raging and the United States is nearing 500,000 COVID-related deaths. But this sobering statistic is paired with some good news: over 64 million people in the U.S. have now gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and the vaccine rollout is up to 2 million shots in arms every day. The U.S. just secured an additional 200 million doses of vaccines (for a total of 600 million) to be delivered by the end of July, which should be enough for every American to get two doses of vaccine. 

Now that the U.S. has secured the necessary doses, the next hurdle is to get everyone to take a vaccine. Verywell Health’s latest vaccine sentiment survey shows a slight uptick in vaccine acceptance. But vaccine rejection and hesitation remain high: In the most recent survey data, 43% of our respondents say they won’t get the vaccine or haven’t decided if they will. 

The kinds of people who say they won’t take the vaccine or haven’t decided about taking the vaccine are wide and varied. But we’re seeing many of them in younger age groups. Here, we explore the anti-COVID-19 vaccine attitudes in people under 40.

Who Are the Young Rejectors?

Our data shows that people who say they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine are consistently younger than people who say they definitely will. In our latest wave, young respondents are more than twice as likely as older respondents to not want the vaccine. Nearly half (47%) of those under 30 are rejectors, compared with just 17% of those over 50.

This trend may rise from younger people being less likely to get seriously ill from a COVID-19 infection. Only 43% of survey respondents under 30 say they’re concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with 67% of respondents over 50, who are at a higher risk of serious illness.

Not only are younger people less worried about COVID-19; they're also less convinced the vaccines are effective against it. Only 22% of those under 30 are confident the vaccine will protect them against COVID, compared with 49% of those over 50. Given infection is less severe in younger populations and they don't think a vaccine will do them much good anyway, it makes sense that a vaccine might be a harder sell.

Who Is the Under-30 Crowd Listening To?

Our survey responses suggest another potential source of COVID-19 vaccine rejection among the younger crowd: the media consumption of people under 30.

We already know from previous weeks that social media is a major source of COVID-19 news among all our respondents, second only to cable and local news. And social media is the biggest driver of COVID-19 vaccine information among respondents who said they will not get a shot.

Twenty-eight percent of vaccine rejectors see COVID-19 news on Instagram, and nearly 1 in 5 rejectors get their pandemic news from TikTok.

The audiences for these apps, compared to Facebook, are younger. 

• 86% of TikTok users are under 45 
• 78% of Instagram users are under 45
• 61.8% of Facebook users are under 45

In our survey, 75% of respondents under 30 say they get COVID-19 news from social media, compared to 36% of respondents over 50. So it makes sense that these younger users harbor the anti-vaccine sentiments of social media-active rejectors.

Social Media: The Good and The Bad

Social media and the internet has democratized information, so there is some good here. Many people share accurate vaccine information—the platforms can give doctors and scientists a voice to reach people directly.

Others are using social media to share the experience of getting the vaccine, their vaccine reaction, and side effects (or lack thereof). It’s also emerging as a way for young people who do get very sick with COVID-19 to highlight their experiences, sharing that the danger is real.

The problem is that the lack of regulations on user-generated content has made social media a trove of misinformation, disinformation, and rumors. Users can post without verifying the accuracy of their claims—or even without the intention of being accurate at all. And algorithms are designed to keep you scrolling.

How Social Media Brands Are Responding

Given the devastating public health impact of COVID-19 misinformation, social media companies have created some rules and resources for their users.

• TikTok created an in-app notice on posts with #covid19 and related hashtags, connecting users to the World Health Organization website and local public health agencies. According to its Safety Center, the platform is actively removing anti-vaccine content and working with fact-checking partners to remove false or misleading content.
• Instagram has introduced a series of updates, including messaging on any content it identifies as related to COVID-19, directing users to the Word Health Organization to learn more. The platform has also added more stickers to promote accurate information.
• Facebook has created personalized COVID-19 Information center pages, and vaccine searches only surface information from reputable sources. Facebook has now banned all posts with false vaccine claims—not just those about COVID-19.

So, what can we do? We know people say they're more likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine if they know someone else who has. Seventy percent of those who know someone vaccinated say they’d get a shot, compared to 48% of those who don’t know someone who's been vaccinated.

When it’s time to get vaccinated, get your dose and share your story on social media. Encourage your friends and family to get theirs if their doctor recommends it. 

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.